Diamond Tooth Taxidermy Blog:

This past Sunday brought sheets of rain, thunderstorms and my lovely friend Pearl to Diamond Tooth Studios for a shoot. Ms. Bell is more than just a pretty face, she's also a lifestyle and home enthusiast. She can wave her magic wand over any home, wardrobe, or human and said item will emerge sparkling and wonderful. Please check out her blog, 7pm.

Together with the talented and professional services of Diamond Tooth on-sote photographer, Jim Coughlin, we had a few flashy packed hours together. He like to shoot, paint, spray, stencil, and make music. Please check out all the wonderful things he does on Snap, Bam Splat!

I've been busy working with the materials from that load of vintage hats I received a few weeks back, mixing and matching the elements from each piece with other pieces from my studio alongside certain taxidermy ingredients that revealed themselves as an ideal match. This Gothic Bridal Fascinator started out as a black cage veil with white fabric roses. I dyed the roses a fade-into black and added two mounted wings from a fancy chicken.

I kept the original velvet ribbon and added some black fur.

Here is another bridal fascinator; none of these bridal pieces are white as they are geared towards a less conventional woman who is looking for something unlike what she can find in traditional bridal boutiques. This results in a versatile piece that could be worn by the maid of honor or even the mother of the bride..or for an event that isn't even a wedding!

I used the blue veiling from an antique wide-brimmed blue hat (shown later in its reincarnate form down below) and attached it, with the wings of a fancy chicken, to a wire fascinator base. The feathers are hand curled to compliment the wearer's hair.

This is my Blue Poof Quail Fascinator. This quail has been worn in several ways, before I found the perfect base for it which is the vintage blue ostrich feather one you see below. I switched the original blue veil out with an off white, Swiss-dot one from another vintage piece and added a strand of sea pearls around the quail to bring out the creaminess. I think this piece would be perfect for a Winter wedding....or even Spring!

Behold the wide-brimmed blue hat I mentioned earlier. It's a strong, beautiful piece of millinery that stands on its own without a ton of bells and whistles so I simply added the mounted and embellished cape of a chicken, some pheasant feathers and a few pieces of antique hand-tatted lace, all meant to compliment the shape and motion of this piece.

Hair Doin'!

Next up is the duck wing fascinator which Pearl has worn before. I very much enjoy manipulating crinoline/horsehair, and look forward to making more of these.

It's light and easy to wear, ideal for the individual who wants to express some fashion sense but isn't willing to compromise her comfort level.

Here is another bridal piece, this one crafted with the base of a vintage fasctinator which originally was a simple green bow. I took the fabric off, rearranged it and added a green cage veil from another antique pice. Then came the mounted wings of a chicken and vintage charm in center.

The two wings are firmly pressed together in a way that makes the feathers pop out on the opposite side, not unlike what your fingers do when you clasp you hands.

Hold on!

OK, perfect. This is my beloved montera hat, embellished with a mounted chicken head that has been encrusted with jewels. This hat generates a very healthy dose of attention and makes for an excellent conversation piece. Ole!

It also opens up some fun opportunities for various hair-dos. I like twisted locks around and under it, but a side pony tail or a combed out fro would also work just as well.

The last piece of the shoot was another fascinator Pearl had worn before, crafted from an antique base with a delicate off white veil. I added the wings from a chicken which had been source mid-molt, so the spiny veins of the feathers are exposed. This made them ideal for stringing beautiful beads on; I got these marble and pearl beads from two vintage necklaces. I also hand curled some of the feathers.

Not to be outdone, our house model demonstrated his ability to work a chapeau.